Look, I did a thorough job smelling all those samples, but at a certain point, not one of them even came close to La Fille De Berlin, so there was hardly a point in further analyzing the competition through day-long wear tests.
An overall summary of the remaining contenders:
Rose Noir by Byredo
First spritz: serious contender. Rosy musky fruity fancy stuff. But the drydown was boring and pretty much lost everything but the musk, and it was gone within 4 hours.
Kazehikaru by Di Ser
I love all the notes in this: Yuzu, neroli, lavender, shiso, Japanese rose, vetiver. And for the first few minutes, you could smell them all. And after that, it was a big old blanket of vetiver with not so much as a hint of any of the other notes.
Kai Rose by Kai
I tried this because of the similarities drawn between the original Kai and my current warm-weather scent, Child perfume from BeautyHabit. I thought the addition of rose might take it into cooler weather for me. But somehow it just smells… basic. It smells like every magazine insert perfume sample. No depth, just cutesy, flowery fluff.
Komorebi by Pierre Guillaume Paris
All wood, minimal black currant, and somehow turned into mildew on my skin.
Iris Perle by Les Indemodables
It starts out strong and complex, but it’s missing that “kick” that I want. Elegant, understated, and not unexpected in the least.
Aqua Celestial by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
This smells like the feeling of getting sunscreen in your eyes.
La Religieuse by Serge Lutens
Well this is gorgeous, and I want someone to wear it, but the drydown just isn’t me. It’s very mature.
La Vierge de Fer by Serge Lutens
A lovely, fruity spring and summer scent. I may revisit when it gets warmer, but it doesn’t feel right for what I’m looking for right now.
L’Orpheline by Serge Lutens
This feels more like a home fragrance to me than something I want to wear. It has a sort of abstract quality that feels like it belongs in a space, not on the skin. It’s beautiful, but it’s not perfume to me.
Black Jade by Lubin
Ok this I do really like a lot, it’s lovely. But it feels a little too sweet and creamy for me. It makes a lot of sense for Marie Antoinette though.
Great roundup of samples!
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